Hippurate and group B streptococcus

[Mark Bossert]

It's saturday night and I can't sleep.
I'm going over my notes for medical microbiology, and I've noticed that 
one of the tests for distinguishing group B from others is the test for 
the presence of hippurate. I am loving it.
But, my courious mind asks, WHAT IS HIPPURATE? (that's not me screaming 
at you, that's me screaming at me)
I have looked through my med micro book, my med micro lab book, my 
micro book, my four biochem books, my cell bio book, my histology book, 
and every other book I own except those dusty trig books and NO 
HIPPURATE!!
I'm going to go postal!!
Now I know that I'll pass the test if I just cough up the name hippurate 
when my prof asks what are the ways you can distinguish between strep 
groups, but I'd like to know more, and it's saturday night, and 
everything but this white screen is closed till monday, and I need to get 
some sleep before monday, and it's not fair to my wife if I am dreaming 
of hippurate instead of her.
Please have pitty :(

Thanks -Mark